A Minnesota Birth Story with Snow, Ice and a Hockey Lace

January 12, 2018 11:24 AM

(ABC 6 News) -- Forget the birth plan; a baby born just north of the Twin Cities had her own agenda.

Around 12 a.m. on Thursday, January 11, 34-year-old Nicole Howard of Oak Grove began having contractions. Nicole said she had been having similar contractions off and on since Christmas and since this was her third pregnancy, she wanted to be sure that she was truly in labor before going to the hospital. Her official due date was January 19.

Around 1:30 a.m., Nicole woke up her husband, Kyle, and decided it was time to go to the hospital. The contractions hadn’t gotten worse, said Nicole, but they also hadn’t stopped. About 8 minutes later, right outside the house, Nicole’s water broke.

“Kyle asked what he should do and I told him to call 911 and that the baby was coming. He ran to his truck and got a flashlight and laid blankets and towels down for me,” said Nicole.

Kyle began talking with the emergency operator, giving them their address, Nicole’s information and contraction details.

“I told him I couldn’t hold it anymore, and shouted that the baby was coming. The baby slid right into his arms, all while having the phone propped between his ear and shoulder and flashlight in his mouth,” said Nicole.

The baby was delivered at 1:45 a.m. and the first officer arrived one minute later. Nicole said Kyle ran to his truck and grabbed his brand new hockey lace to tie off the cord while the officer held the baby.

The ambulance arrived at 1:57 a.m., 12 minutes after the baby was born, said Nicole. She and the baby were taken to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, where they are both happy and healthy.

Nicole and Kyle said they’re thankful for the quick response from the local authorities and EMT’s, even with the icy road conditions that morning.